Sewer Insurance Reimbursement – Sewer Service Line Repair 1231 East Wayne St. - Neovi Karakatsanis and Jonathan Swarts

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INTER-OFFICE MEMORANDUM DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS DIVISION OF ENGINEERING TO: Board of Public Works FROM:Eric Horvath, Public Works Director SUBJECT: Sewer Reimbursement for 1231 East Wayne St. DATE: June 4, 2020 am requesting the Board’s approval of the sewer insurance reimbursement to the homeowners I at 1231 East Wayne St. in the amount of $7,375 less the $500 deductible, for a total reimbursement of $6,875. The homeowners were not aware of their sewer insurance coverage, and neither the three (3) contractors they received quotes from nor the city employees who did the locates informed them of the program at the time. They found out about the program from a neighbor after the fact. During the week of March 11 and March 18, 2019, Neovi Karakatsanis and Jonathan Swarts, 1231 East Wayne Street, had Niezgodski Plumbing at their home to repair a sewer service line. The first phase consisted of the replacement of the existing serviceline due to the fact that “\[t\]he area where the main drainage system exits the house is deteriorated and leaks sewage that is currently penetrating the basement foundation and is the cause of sewer gas within the structure”. The cost of the outside sewer line replacement was $7,375.00. It took longer than expected to complete the replacement because Niezgodski had substantial difficulty locating the existing piping in their front yard and, consequently, called city officials to the property twice during the week of March 11 to seek their assistance in finding the piping. T he second phase of the project consisted of interior work that was necessary to raise the existing drainage system in the basement to a higher level, eliminating all existing piping below the basement floor. This interior work cost an additional $7,079.00. Niezgodski Plumbing was one of three companies from which they sought estimates. Niezgodski was hired to do this work, but Lincoln Plumbing and Bob Frame also agreed that a break in the existing sewer pipe near the foundation of the house was leaking sewage that was penetrating the foundation and causing sewer gas buildup. All three companies reached the same conclusion, and the estimates received from them were very comparable (within a few hundred dollars of each other). The City of South Bend Legal Department has determined thata portion of the charges for the sewer backup repair at 1231 East Wayne Street can and should be covered under the City’s Sewer Service Fund Program for the following reasons: